Power
by nhsweetcherry
Summary: Jeff thinks about the way his sons have responded to the powerful positions they hold by being members of International Rescue.
_I do not own the Thunderbirds, and I am making no profit from this story._

 _Don't know why, but this story was_ ridiculously _hard to write…_

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Abraham Lincoln said that.

The words, printed at the bottom of the page, catch my eye as I flip to today's date in my daily planner. They seem particularly appropriate, because at this very moment I can feel the power of Thunderbird One – the floor is vibrating under my feet and I hear a mighty roar as the rocket plane shoots up from beneath the swimming pool. The rumble of her engines sets my knick-knacks rattling toward the edges of their shelves; my mother usually goes around every week or two and pushes them further back before they can fall off.

I stand and walk to the window, watching as Scott quickly becomes a pinprick on the horizon and then vanishes. Virgil trails after him, the great bulk of his ship taking a little bit longer to disappear from sight.

When I gave Scott Thunderbird One, I gave him incredible power – and I'm not just talking about his ship. As the Field Commander for International Rescue, Scott has authority over his brothers and influence over other professionals responding to the rescue scene. He has the power to make decisions at the danger zone – he decides how best to use his team, which building to reinforce, where to send certain equipment.

Occasionally, he must make the hardest decision of all. Every great once in a while, timing and circumstances collude in such a way that we can save only one victim, and it falls to Scott to decide which one to rescue. This is not the kind of power I would ever have wished on anyone, much less my son.

It's usually after such a situation, or after a brother has been in particular danger because of a directive from Scott, that he questions his right to such power.

All I can do is listen and remind him that he did the absolute best that he could with what he was given.

And as much as I hate that his role weighs on him, I would be much more concerned if he wasn't bothered by some of the choices he has to make.

As a rule, Scott wields his power with discipline, common sense, and a generous dash of the selflessness that has always made him an exemplary older brother. He doesn't let his role as Field Commander go to his head; the needs of others are constantly at the forefront of his mind.

The power I gave to Scott has proven that he is a man of character.

Thunderbird Two is the epitome of power. While Thunderbird One is like a racehorse, built for speed, Two is the draft horse of International Rescue, built for strength. When she's revving up for takeoff, you can hear and feel the power of her massive engines throbbing through the ship all around you. She trembles, as if she's excited to get out there and work. It takes strong, steady hands to guide her tremendous bulk through the air and to channel that incredible power into the many precise maneuvers we require of her.

Her power can be intimidating. The equipment she carries can hold up a falling building, keep a ship from sinking, and bolster a crumbling mountain…or, in the wrong hands, it could tear down a building, sink a ship, or level a mountain.

That's why I'm so glad that it's Virgil's hands on her controls. Far from being intimidated by what she can do, he has developed a deep rapport with his ship, and this brings out the best in both of them.

In fact, I think that Two has helped Virgil to better understand the power that he holds within our family. Virgil, like his ship, possesses the power to fix, to heal, and to solve problems. Whereas Scott leads, guides, and decides, Virgil follows, helps, and supports. Some people may see Virgil as playing second fiddle to Scott, and perhaps in a way that's true. But as a musician, Virgil understands the importance of his role, and I think that perhaps that is his true power – the ability to humbly serve the team without needing to be at the forefront.

When I gave Thunderbird Two to Virgil, I gave him great power, and it has only caused his gentle, confident character to shine all the more brightly.

Thunderbird Three, in contrast to the other Birds, is nothing _but_ power – just sheer, exhilarating speed, so intense that it threatens to crush you into your seat. There's no other craft on Earth that can match the power of my youngest son's ship, and to be honest, I wonder occasionally whether it's too much for him. I think the problem centers around the fact that Alan is given so much power – but only when he flies his Bird. The rest of the time, he is the youngest brother, the baby of the family, with virtually no power. He generally handles the power of flying and commanding his spacecraft very well; perhaps I should talk with Scott about occasionally giving Alan time in charge at the danger zone. A little bit of cautiously rationed power might go a long way toward shaping Alan's character for the better.

Both Gordon and his Thunderbird are deceptive. They possess far more power than you would think upon first glance. Thunderbird Four may be small, but she has the power to reach greater depths than most submersibles many times her size. She is fast, versatile, and very well suited for our purposes.

And then there's Gordon. I've come to suspect that he is very aware of the power that he possesses, and that he knows how to use it wisely – for the most part. His is an unusual kind of power, and I think that it is vitally important to the way we function – both as a family and as a team. Gordon has the rare power to keep all of us smiling, even when things are hard.

I would add a caveat to my earlier statement, when I said that Gordon is aware of his power over us. I think that while he understands that he brings a positive mood to the family, he may actually not be aware of _how_ he does it. He thinks that it's the jokes and the pranks that make his brothers smile. I know better. Gordon's real power is in his bright optimism, in his buoyancy and in the joyful, sparkling energy that he brings with him wherever he goes. When his brothers laugh at his jokes, what really leaves them smiling for ten minutes afterward is the animation on Gordon's face as he tells the joke. When Gordon pranks one of them, most of the time they're only angry for a minute or two, until Gordon's helpless laughter begins to crack their stony shell, and they end up laughing along with him.

Whether he knows it or not, Gordon uses his power at rescues as well; I've seen many a shell-shocked victim gravitate toward Gordon's warm, friendly presence. All Gordon has to do is look them in the eye and smile, and suddenly their faces are a little less pinched, their eyes a little less haunted.

He's especially good with children. I believe that my son has provided the first step of healing for many a child, just by hunkering down to their level and smiling at them, showing them that even though they've just been through a horrific, scary experience, the world is still a friendly place.

John probably doesn't think of his role as powerful. He doesn't have a ship with earth-shattering thrusters, or with the ability to lift enormous amounts of weight, or with the speed to reach any point of the globe in an hour or less.

He has a quiet, studious, introverted personality – you wouldn't look at him and think of him as a powerful person.

But his power, and that of his Bird's, is of a different kind.

In Thunderbird Five, John has been given the power of communication. He is the voice of International Rescue, a position that requires an amazing array of talents and abilities – and responsibility.

I said that I don't think that John sees the power that he has in his role, but I see it, and I know that his brothers see it too. Not just anyone could run International Rescue's satellite. I needed someone who would not be overwhelmed by the vastness of her communications array, who would not crumble under the emotional pressure of victims calling for help, and who could handle long periods of physical separation from other people.

I needed someone who could send his brothers into danger on a daily basis and not go crazy.

And sometimes it's John's steady voice on the other line that's the only power in the world that could possibly keep our team – our family – from shattering.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

I gave my sons power. I didn't intend for it to be a test of character, but nonetheless it has proven what I already knew – each of my boys is well suited to carry the burden of great responsibility and power.


End file.
